Which is better for two up?

[Lawn]

I've yet to enter the world of thumpers, I've only had full on street bikes. I sold my SV 650 a few months ago and can't stand not having a motorcycle.

I've been looking at either a used TW200 or XT225 (I haven't seen any used XT250's in San Diego). For the most part it'd just be me riding around, but I want to be able to take my wife around town too, maybe even out on dirt paths. Will either of these handle the two of us at 5'10" 150lbs and 4'11" ~95lbs? We live in the middle of the city so it'd mostly just be riding out in town. I know we could pull it off, but would it still be fun? Will it just be bogged down and slow with that much weight?

[CopaMundial]

If you're limiting the choices between the TW200 and XT225, then I'd say the XT if for no other reason than the ergo's for a rider 5'10" (btw, good catch for you having a wife that's nearly a foot taller than you ).

I also wouldn't rule out the possibility of finding an old XT350 as well. That bike is pretty well known for it's reliability, lots of them still running great. I'm not sure about your area, but around here Craig's list is LOADED with great deals on bikes... mix of the economy and the cold weather closing in.

In case you've never tried it.. this is a great handy tool.

[ZX1100F1]

An R 1200 GS

[CopaMundial]

An R 1200 GS

lol... easy choice when you're spending someone else's money.

[hawkeye101]

I think it really depends on what your definition of "fun" is whether it would still be fun. I've done two-up on the TW200 with probably a total of 15-20 more pounds than what you've listed. It works fine, and both I and my passenger enjoy the ride. The TW is not fast in any case, so IMO the feel you get riding it two up is not all that different. But if you're coming from an SV650, I have a suspicion you might find it just a tad sluggish.

[ZX1100F1]

lol... easy choice when you're spending someone else's money.

Oh sorry that's my bad, I didn't realize there was a budget.?

[Lawn]

Well, as long as it's not going to be full throttle just to get to the store, it'll be fun. ;-) I guess I've driven 125cc motorbikes and they still had power to be fun two up... not sure why I didn't think of that before.